Straw-feeder and band-cutter.



PATENTED AUG.1, 1905.

E. J. VRAALSTAD, STR'AW FEEDER AND BAND GUTTER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 30.' 1905.

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5l s wanton No. 790,370. PATBNTED A00. 1, 1005. 0. J. vRAALsTAn.

STRAWl FEEDER AND BANDCUTTER.' APPLIMTION FILED JAN. 30.1905.

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d UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

EDWARD J. VRAALSTAD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE` HALF TO BUFFALO PITTS COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A OOR- PORATION OF NEW YORK.

STRAW-FEEDER AND BAND-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

'Application filed January 30,1905. Serial No. 243,375.

T0 all whom, it may concern/.-

Beit known that I, EDWARD J. VEAALsTAD, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented Ycertain new and useful Improvements in Straw-Feeders and Band- Outters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art t0 which it appertains to' make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for feeding straw or other material to a thresher or a furnace or the like,

the invention being also capable of employment as a band-cutter.

A furtherobject is to provide means of this character which will be extremely simple in construction, positive in operation, inexpensive, and not liable to readily get out of order, being composed of but few parts.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims. In the drawings, Figure l is a View in side elevation, showing my invention employed as a band-cutter and straw-feeder. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of a single device. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing two devices arranged side by side on a common shaft. Fig. 4: is an enlarged side View with parts broken away and others removed. Fig. 5 shows the device as used for feeding straw into a furnace. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the arrangement of the device shown in Fig. l.

Broadly speaking, my invention comprevhends the employment of two cooperating members, one designed to positively engage the straw to feed the same forward and the other to strip or separate the straw from the engaging member, both members having a common axis and revoluble in unison, one being shiftable relatively to the other, so that although they revolve in unison the edge of one member is at a prearranged point of travel overlapped by the edge of the other, while the edge of the latter is at another point in the revolution overlapped by that of the former.

The invention further comprehends means for changing the relations between the two members, so as to adjust the point at which one member may engage the straw and the other serve to force straw out of engagement.

When the device is employed as a bandcutter, the intersection of the peripheries of the engaging member by the other member results in cutting and forcing aside the bands as well as the straw.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a shaft whereon is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured a disk 2, constituting what I term the engaging member, since it is formed on its periphery with teeth 3, projecting tangentially therefrom at any desired angle or pitch, depending upon the character of the work to be performed. Immediately adjacent disk 2 is a second disk A, the central opening in which is slightly greater than the diameter of shaft l, so as to permit it to be shifted at right angles to its axis while being revolved. This latter disk constitutes the stripping or cutting member, and its periphery is shown as formed with a knife-edge 5. Both members are about of the same diameter.

6 designates an eccentric sleeve loose on shaft l and having in one side a raceway for ball-bearings 7, against which bears the hubplate of the stripping member. This eccentric is constantly under the tension of aspring 8, shown as inclosed in the hollow portion thereof, and against this spring bears a loose collar 9, which is held as against movement longitudinally of shaft 1 by a collar l0, fast on such shaft. The office of the spring is to hold the stripping member in frictional contact with the engaging member. Some suitable means must be employed to prevent the turning of the eccentric with shaftv l, and for this purpose I have shown an arm l2 extending laterally therefrom and engaging with a segment 13.

By turning the eccentric the relation between the engaging member and the stripping or cutting' member may be shifted, so that the points of intersection will be altered. It is manifest that as shaft l revolves it will carry with it disk 2, constituting the engaging member, and that by reason of the friction between the two disks the second one, forming the stripping or cutting member, travels with the former, and as the two members revolve the stripping or cutting member moves with and eccentrically to the engaging member. In consequence, as shown in Figs. l and 6, the teeth of the engaging member will throughout a portion of the revolution of the two members be exposed or projected throughout more than one-half the circumference, while the lremaining teeth are concealed or overlapped by the edge ofthe other member. The point at which the teeth are exposed or projected is always the same, while the eccentric is held at axed'point; but the point of maximum projection may be readily changed by shifting the eccentric axially of shaft 1.

In practice the maximum exposure or projection of the teeth occurs preferably as they are traveling downward and about to engage the straw. This engagement will cause the straw to travel forward with the engaging member, and naturally the straw would unless arrested or removed rise with and travel around such member; but by reason of the intersection of the teeth or the side wipe thereof by the periphery of the stripping member' the straw is forced out of engagement with the engaging member. This is done as the teeth are on the upward travel, leaving the straw free to pass either to a threshing-machine or a furnace or any other point. When the device is used as a band-cutter, the teeth of the engaging member engage the bands on y the several sheaves and as the teeth are intersected by the periphery of the stripping or cutting member the bands are severed, the knife-like edge of such member eecting a shearing cnt of the band at the point or points of intersection with the teeth by which the bands are held. Even if the disk 4 were not formed with a knife-like edge the binding of the band between a tooth and the intersecting periphery of such disk would immediately effect a shearing cut of the band and at the same time strip the band and the straw from the engaging member.

Either a single device may be employed or a plurality thereof, as shown in Fig. 3, wherein two are shown as arranged side by side. ln this latter arrangement the collar 12 is unnecessary, as each device acts as a collar to the other, so to speak, serving to secure the necessary tension on the interposed spring, which I have marked 14 in this figure. In this arrangement thc two eccentrics are connected to a common arm 15, by means of which they may be readily shifted to change the points of intersection between the two disks.

From what has been said the advantages of my invention are apparent. It will be seen that the same embraces as its essentials two coacting members, one for engaging the straw and the other revolving therewith, but movable eccentrically thereto for intersecting and engaging the edge or edges'of the other, so as to free such edge or edges of the straw or band engaged thereby. When used as a bandcutter, this second member will not only effect the severing of the bands, but will force all straw out of engagement with the teeth of the engaging member.

Although I have shown the two members as being composed ofdisks, yet it is manifest that they may be of any preferred form of construction. same results may be secured by having the engaging member movable eccentrically to the stripping or cutting member instead of the latter being moved eccentrically to the engaging member.

I claim as my invention- 1. A straw-feeder comprising two coperating rotary members, one member being constructed to engage the straw and the other to effect the removal thereof from such engaging member, and means for imparting an eccentric movement to one member during the rotation of the two members, thereby effecting the overlapping of each member by the other member.

2. A straw-feeder comprising two coperating rotary members, one having teeth at its periphery, and means for imparting to one member a movement at right angles to its axis during the rotation of the two members, whereby such member will be moved to overlap the other member.

3. Astraw-feeder comprising two coperating rotary members, one having teeth at its periphery, means for holding the two members in frictional contact with each other, and means for imparting to one member a movement at right angles to its axis during the rotation of the two members, whereby such member will be moved to overlap the other member.

4. The combination with the rotary shaft,

of two cooperating. members of substantially.

equal diameters, one being fast on said shaft and the other designed to rotate therewith but on a different axis thereto, one of said members carrying straw-engaging means, the other member forcing the straw from such means.

5. The combination with the rotary shaft, of two coperating members of substantially equal diameters, one being fast onsaid shaft and the other designed to rotate therewith but on a different axis thereto, one of said members carrying means for engaging straw or bands encircling the same, the other member effecting a shearing cutof such straw or bands as one member is moved to overlap the other member.

6. The combination with the rotary shaft,V i

of the disk fast thereon having teeth at its periphery, a second disk of substantially the same diameter as the former and movable therewith, means for shifting said second disk eccen trically during its rotation, said teeth of the first-mentioned disk being projected beyond said second disk at certain points of revolution and Within the plane of such second disk at other points of revolution.

7. The combination with the rotary shaft, of two disks revoluble thereon, one being secured thereto and the other movable with the latter and also eccentrically thereto, one disk having teeth in its periphery, the other hav- Like wise it is obvious that thel ing a cutting edge Which intersects, or is intersected by, the teeth of the other disk.

8. The combination with the rotary shaft, of two disks revoluble thereon, one being secured thereto, an eccentric loose on said shaft around which the other disk revolves, means for holding the latter disk in rictional engagement with the former, one disk having teeth in its periphery, that disk engaging the eccentric being caused to intersect the plane of the periphery ofthe other disk, and means for shifting such eccentric.

9. The combination with the rotary shaft,

of the member mounted thereon having at its 

